FIFA Arab Cup
Graham Arnold’s charges edged Bahrain 2-1 and have a two-point advantage at the summit after Sudan held 2021 champions Algeria to a goalless draw.
Ebrahim Lutfalla’s own goal gave Iraq the momentum to secure an opening day victory with Mohanad Ali doubling their lead in the 25th minute before Bahrain scored a late consolation through Sayed Hashim.
Hasan Abdulkareem emphasised the importance of starting the tournament with three points.
“The three points are very important and the performance was also good so it was what we wanted. Our main goal though is the qualifiers for the World Cup and that’s why we are here, to prepare ourselves for that,” said Abdulkareem.
“Most of us are playing in the Iraq Stars League and I’m here to show the coach what I can do. I like to dribble, to take players on and the coach also likes me to go one-on-one with players," he said. “This is the kind of football I enjoy and I want to show what I can do.”
Amar Muhsin, who replaced captain Aymen Hussein for the final 15 minutes against Bahrain, was delighted with the perfect start.
“It was really important to start with a win at the FIFA Arab Cup, to get the flow going and it already gives us a good chance to go through to the next stage," he noted.
“It also feels like this is a good chance for all of us who are here to show the coach what we can do and express ourselves.”
Despite starting their campaign with a defeat, Bahrain head coach Dragan Talajic remains hopeful that his side can recover and keep their qualification hopes alive.
“The start was not good and we scored an own goal, which affected us. We improved during the second half, but we couldn't equalise, said Talajic. “We tried to regain our balance, but the Iraqi team didn’t give us the chance – I believe in the abilities of our team and we will do our utmost to make up for this result in the next match.
“We watched the match between Algeria and Sudan, and there were mistakes, which leads us to believe that there is a chance to compensate.”
Bahrain v Algeria
Venue: Khalifa International Stadium (Al Rayyan)
Kick-off: Saturday, 16:30 (UTC+3)
Sudan v Iraq
Venue: Stadium 974 (Doha)
Kick-off: Saturday, 19:00 (UTC+3)
